Monday, November 24, 2008

Turn Plain Crackers Into Seasoned Snack Crackers

I first titled this post "Make your own" seasoned snack crackers, but I was afraid that was misleading. I'm not advising rolling out dough and baking your own crackers, put taking plain saltine crackers and turning them into delicious, seasoned snack crackers.

Ordinarily, I am not a big fan of saltine crackers. My family likes them, but I'm more of Ritz gal, myself. When I first ate these crackers, though, they turned me into a saltine believer.

Mix together:

1 1/2 c olive oil or canola oil

1 pkg dry Ranch dressing mix

3 T crushed red pepper or pepper flakes

Pour over the contents of 1 box of saltine crackers, in a sealable bowl. "Marinate" the crackers for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes. Spread crackers out a cookie sheets or baking pans, and bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes. Let these cool, and dig in.

I don't even need dip or spread with these, I like to just eat them plain. You can vary this easily by changing the seasoning. I think Italian dressing mix and a little Parmesancheese would be excellent. If you don't think you'll use this quantity, make just enough for a stack or two of crackers, instead of the whole box.

During the holiday season we tend to make a lot of dips and spreads and party foods, and of course we have to buy chips and crackers to go with them. Most seasoned snack crackers can be a little pricey, especially when you look at the quantity that you're getting for your money. These are a tasty, frugal alternative, especially if you stock up on saltines when they're on sale. Several stores in my area run crackers on sale B1G1--these are especially good when they're made with free crackers!